Where the towers once stood

Ground Zero is still controversial

A LOVELY morning in New York still brings to mind the cloudless sky on the day aeroplanes crashed into the World Trade Centre. Six years on, a low-flying plane or a speeding fire truck can make the heart pound. But most New Yorkers had moved forward until a fire last month at Ground Zero's former Deutsche Bank building took the lives of two firefighters and reminded everyone of that awful day in 2001 and the indecision that followed.

The Deutsche Bank building was irreparably damaged when the towers fell. It should have been demolished years ago, but work has been delayed by court battles, asbestos and toxic dust removal, work stoppages and a renewed search for body parts. Only 15 of its 41 floors have been dismantled.

In contrast, Building 7 of the World Trade Centre complex was quickly rebuilt and reopened last year. Moody's, a credit-rating agency, recently moved into the office tower. Other good news: JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs both plan to build new headquarters near Ground Zero. Commercial vacancy rates continue to drop and are almost at pre-September 2001 levels. Nearly 18,000 residents have moved to Lower Manhattan since 2001, a 30% increase. The area is almost back to its cocky self.

With the construction of the Freedom Tower and the memorial finally under way, next week's anniversary services will take place at a nearby plaza, not the site itself. Next year the victims' families will not have access to Ground Zero's pit. This has made many bristle, especially the families of the 1,100 victims who have never been identified. Many consider the site sacred ground, in part because human fragments are still being discovered there. Others are seething over Rudy Giuliani's plan to attend, fearing that the former mayor, now running for president on the back of his leadership that day, will politicise the event.

Some are not convinced that the proposed memorial—underground, with waterfalls and a museum—will be a success. Cal Snyder, a historian, points out that the 250 “vernacular memorials”, erected in parks, water fronts, fire-stations and schools all over the five boroughs, work well because of their simplicity. Amid all the controversy and delays associated with Ground Zero projects, the only widely applauded element has been the shining of two blue beams of light into the night sky every September 11th where the twin towers once stood.